Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Batchelor Institute began in the late 1960s as a small annexe of Kormilda College, providing programs for Aboriginal teacher aides and assistants in community schools. In 1974 Batchelor Institute moved to the Batchelor township. In 1982 the Institute commenced as a dual sector tertiary provider and since the 1980s has continuously built a focus on learning that is supportive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. A second campus was established in 1990 in Alice Springs. Between 1988 and 1999 the Institute was known as Batchelor College. In 1999 the current Batchelor Institute was established with an emphasis on Indigenous Australian ownership and governance of the Batchelor Institute Council. Since the Australian government higher education reforms of 2003 Batchelor Institute has been recognised and funded as a ‘National Institute’.

Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education sits uniquely in the Australian educational landscape as the only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dual sector tertiary education provider. Under its ‘Both-ways’ philosophy, the Institute significantly provides an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lens to a mainstream education system. The Institute’s strategic planning regime comprises five organisational initiatives, referred to as system-level pillars.

These pillars underpin Batchelor Institute’s direction, work and investment, thereby positioning the Institute, for the future, as Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dual sector tertiary provider of choice. The Institute will be highly profitable, and have both a national and international reputation for providing high quality training, education and research.

Indigenous students come to Batchelor as part of their life’s learning journey. They bring with them their own knowledge, language/s and culture and come as adults with previous life and education experience. They journey with Batchelor and continue to journey with their home community and family, at the same time. We conduct cross-cultural training for staff and have completed an internal research project and created support resources around our philosophy of practice. We also held Both-ways talking circles to bring together staff and students to discuss teaching and learning practices at the Institute as well as holding a Both-ways student forum.